Toilet; is it for its function or its appearance?

A few weeks ago as I was looking through my photos and videos, one photo stood out to me.  Hold on. Let me show you in this video.

There is a toilet in a small gas station that surprised me because the gas station looks modest and unimpressive from outside so obviously I didn't expect much about its toilet. That's why I was surprised to see what inside the toilet. Oh, you can watch the video from the beginning or jump to the 0.43 minute when we pulled to that gas station. 

I thought "Wow. Somebody did spend some time picking up this stuff and put them on the wall to make the toilet prettier."

I mean, they could just leave it plain because people come to gas station to get gas for their cars or motorbikes, get inside to get beverages or snacks and then take a quick stop at the toilet to do their business there, or some people just go there because they had to pee or potty so badly.

So who cares about the colors of the wall or if there's any paintings or flowers of scented candle in that toilet, those people just need a place that has water, soap, paper towel and a thing where they can sit on to pee or potty.

Gas station toilet is not like our bathroom at home where we can decorate it according to our budget or to our artistic taste.

However, somebody at that gas station didn't want the toilet be plain. Somebody has taken his or her time finding some pretty stuff to be put in the toilet. 

I don't do traveling a lot, usually it's only once a week on my husband's day off, sometimes we go far, other times we just go grocery shopping or window shopping. One thing for sure is, I always pee or if I'm lucky, I can also potty before we leave the apartment. 

Well, unlike my husband who doesn't mind doing his business in any toilet in public places, I find it uncomfortable. Maybe because I don't like to sit on the toilet seat where a thousand butts have sat on it and not all toilets have disposable toilet seat covers. Maybe because I don't like sharing the room with strangers who might hear the sound of my pee or my fart or would faint from smelling that stinky odor when I couldn't hold my poop until I got home.

I avoided doing my business in public toilets, except when we were traveling. That was the case when we had to stop at that gas station. We were on the way to a town, which is almost 4-hour drive away from our home.

Most of the toilets I have been encountered usually are standard. Plain. After all, it's the function and not the appearance that they thought when they set their toilets for public use.

However, some people thought differently. Maybe they wanted to make it different or maybe they just have artistic taste, I don't know. All I know is, when I found a public toilet that is different, either it's prettier, cleaner or smells good, I noticed it, I quietly appreciated, enjoyed and praised it.

Another thing I would like to add, this small, modest and unimpressive gas station with that pretty toilet reminds me to the quote: "Don't judge the book from its cover". 

Well, it's just another thought that I'm sharing with you.

When the teacher became a student

Teaching was a passion I unintentionally discovered. Unplanned. It wasn't a "Seize the day" moment either.

I was unemployed for like two or three months, maybe. I don't remember. It happened many years ago. All I know is I didn't have anything to do when a neighbor came and asked me to go with her to her church. Well, I just went with her because I thought "Heck, why not? Staying home is boring." Besides, she paid for my transportation expenses, which wasn't much but since I was unemployed at that time, every penny counted.

So, the service hadn't started yet by the time we got there and I remembered standing kinda awkwardly because I didn't know anyone there and there were many people but it looked like they were busy with their own business and didn't care much about my presence among them.

I wasn't an introvert, but being invisible like that made me feel awkward, and I wished we could go into the room and just sit and do some people-watching before the service started.

A tap on my shoulder startled me. I turned to see who it was, thinking I had probably stepped on somebody's toe.

Someone, I don't remember her face, smiled and nicely asked if I would like to help her in Sunday School class.

Since the service hadn't started yet and I was feeling awkward and bored there, I didn't give lots of time to say yes. My neighbor didn't mind either so off I went with that person to Sunday School class. We passed 3 rooms, I think. She took me to the biggest one and once I walked inside... I was taken aback. 

The room was filled with kids aged few months old to three or four years old. They looked so small, loud and fragile. 

Hey, don't give me wrong. At that time, I had almost zero experience and interaction with kids. My baby sister passed away two decades earlier and I had never done babysitting or had kids.

Dear God, what should I do to these kids? Would they understand me if I talk to them? How would I be expected to teach them?

Well, it turned out they just needed Sunday school teachers aides so my job there was just handed out papers, pencils, crayons, toys, greeted them, exchanged a little chit chat with their moms and that was it. Easy peasy.

I did it quite well, I guess, but the one that really changed my perspective came from this young boy who was there by himself, parents were probably attending the service. This boy needed to go to the toilet and without hesitation he came to me and told me that he needed to pee.

I honestly thought all I needed to do was just took him to the toilet and he would do all his business by himself.

I was wrong.

The pure trust he showed me really shook me. I mean, that was my first time taking care a kid who needed to pee. I wasn't his mama, not his teacher nor his immediate family, but he trusted me and felt confident that I could do the job perfectly and I wouldn't do bad things to him.

That was a game changer.

I had never been handed such a huge trust all of my life.

I knew it by then that I had fallen in love with these kids and I wanted to be among them but where would I find a school that would employ someone who didn't have teaching degree or teaching experience as their teacher.

I learned from experience that when I was meant to do something, sort of destined for something, the doors would all open for me and there would be nothing impossible.

Few weeks later one of the kid's mother asked me to tutor her eldest son. She found out that I speak English pretty good and her son wasn't so I was hired to tutor the boy.

Two or three months later, she informed me about his son's former kindergarten that needed a teacher. She encouraged me to go there and talk to the headmaster about the job vacancy.

I was still very much skeptical, and also doubt, that a school would hire someone like me with no teaching degree or teaching experience to be a teacher in their school.

But to show my appreciation to the lady, I went to that kindergarden and I met with the headmaster. Since I thought I was just gonna see the school and talked a little with the headmaster, I didn't even bring my application or resume.

Before I left, the headmaster said "Come next Monday."

That was it. I was hired.

So fast. Simple. No requirements. 

I went home and when my late dad asked how was the meeting, I told him it was ok and I got the job.

My parents were just as surprised as I was.

But heck, who cares? I got a job and I got what I wished.

From 2005 to 2011 worked in that kindergarten, first as teacher's assistant then to English teacher and for the past two years before I resigned, I was trusted enough to be a full teacher in Playgroup class.

Was it fun?

Oh yes!

Was it thrilling?

Very much!

And when they completed their two or three-year education, I watched them change from babies into youngsters, ready to walk the world and conquer it.

I was happy and proud of each one of them.

They made me felt like a mama bird watching her baby jump out of the nest, spread her/his young wings and fly away. 

Well, from 2005 to 2011 I became not just a teacher, I was that mama bird. 

Many years have passed and this former kindergarten teacher found herself as a student of the universe, learning about herself, life, people and God. It has never been easy. There were many times when I hated everything that I had to learn and wanted to quit. 

For the record, I am not the very best nor outstanding student of the universe.

But somehow, I kept going.

The time, place and people may be different, but the things I learned through them were not just about skills. It is not just about getting knowledge nor getting smart. It, foremost, is about knowing myself.